Diamond In The Rough
by Gemini Star01
Summary: A midevil fic. Kari is just a lowly peasent girl, trying to help her sick brother keep the inn in order. Takaru is the Prince, but sick of being cooped up. How well it all works out...*COMPLETED!!*
1. Chapter 1

Another one that just popped into my head. It's a medieval fic, but it does have quite a bit of inspiration from the story of Aladdin. In ages? Well, T.K. and Kari are sixteen, but other than that, I have no idea 'cause they're all different. Tai's about 21, Cody's around 20, Ken and Yolei are at least 19……headache. Don't know exactly who else'll pop up along the way, but expect Tai, Cody, Sora, Matt, Ken, Yolei, just a bit of Izzy and maybe (serious maybe) Davis (I _was _gonna make him the evil, power-crazed villain, but then I thought, No, he's not smart enough). To make it sound more official, some of the 'names' are Japanese with English 'nicknames' and some are just the English names. Enjoy!

……………………………………………………Oh. I almost forgot. This:

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Disclaimer:No. No. No. No! I don't own Digimon. If I did, Tamers/Frontier may never have existed, the 3rd/4th seasons would have been about things _related_ to the other two, Kari and T.K. would not only have kissed, but gone out and gotten married, Ryo would've shown up in the second season, and 02 would have been a lot longer.

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Diamond in the Rough

Chapter One

Kari Kamiya sighed as she looked at the produce. "Not a lot to choose from." she murmured. 

"Aye, ya think so?" the salesmen hissed. "Well, maybe you should take yur business else where."

"No no!" she said hastily. "This is quite fine."

She brushed her long, brown hair back from her shoulders and plucked a small, faded red apple out of the pile. "This one'll do." she said.

The manager held out his hand. Kari dropped the last shilling she had into it and put the apple in her basket next to the loaf of bread, then hurried down the street towards her brother's inn.

About two streets over, she got caught in a crowd of people. The sixteen year old pushed her way forwards, keep close track of her basket. It would be all they got to eat today, most likely for the rest of the week.

She poked her head between the legs of the adults. Looking up, she saw a very lovely, Arabian-looking girl a bit older than her, with waist-length black hair and skin turned brown by the sun, riding on a beautiful white horse. Sitting behind her was a lovely wooden chest, obviously filled with gold and precious jewels.

"Here's another one." a man above Kari's head muttered.

"Another suitor for the Prince."

The girl rode on, towards the palace on the top of this hill. "He'll never choose." the first one muttered as the crowd departed. "The Prince Takaru says he is looking for 'something special'. He's too busy looking, if you ask me, and not spending enough time working on our well fair."

Kari turned and headed home, ideas and dreams of royalty floating through her mind.

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~ * ~ * ~

The Princess of Sang-Hi came storming out of the room, slamming the door behind her. "He is absolutely impossible!" she shouted angrily at the Chief Advisor to the throne. "I gave him everything I could, and all he does is sit there and…and read! Well, you can forget _him_ ever getting married!"

She began to storm out of the castle. "Please, your grace, stay. He is a very respectable once you get to…" the advisor began.

"I don't need your small talk!" she screeched. "I am LEAVING!"

The door slammed shut. Cody Hida, the advisor, sighed and shook his head. He brushed his dark hair back angrily. "_That_ is the last straw." he muttered, and strode into the opposite room. "Prince! Prince Takaru!" he shouted at the boy crouched over a large book.

The boy looked up. "My dear Cody," he said calmly, sliding back a tuff of blonde hair from his crystal blue eyes. "We have known each other for years. Since I was a lad. You needn't call me Prince, nor Takaru. Call me T.K."

Cody was very flustered. "Prince!" he snapped. "That is the fourth suitor you have driven off this month!"

The prince shrugged. "She was too stuffy." he muttered. "Talked much too much about stuff she didn't understand."

"That is not the point!" Cody snapped testily. "Your father's will clearly states that you _must_ marry by the time you accept the throne, next year! And the law states that only… 

"Only a _princess _is fit for the occasion!" Takaru mocked him. "Yes, I know, and that's precisely why my brother left on his 'mad crusade'! And I have about half a mind to go after him!"

Cody grew extremely flustered. He'd run out of things to say. "Well then…maybe you should…" he finally groaned in defeat and stormed back out of the room, leaving the prince to his studies.

"Ooh…that boy!" Cody muttered as he stormed down the hall. "He just doesn't understand his…his responsibility!"

"Go easy on him, Advisor, he is only a boy." a long, hissing voice said behind him.

Cody stopped. "Lord Regent Daricon." he growled in distaste. "I do not remember asking for your opinion."

"You should hold your tongue." the greasy-black haired man with his fiery green eyes like emeralds, hissed as he crossed into view. "I am Lord Regent. You are no more than a common servant."

Cody drew himself up. "_I _am the Prince's Royal Advisor!" he snapped.

"Royal Jester is more like it." Daricon muttered.

Cody grew more and more flustered, and finally stormed off down the hall.

Daricon smiled evilly. He knew how it would go. He spun on his heals, sending his violet cape flying out behind him, and strode away from the room of the Crown Prince. He rubbed his hands together excitedly.

"This is going just as I planned!" he muttered to himself, laughing as he strode away from the room of the Crown Prince. "That brat will not rule much longer…"

****

~ * ~ * ~

Kari came into the small inn. "I'm home!" she called.

Her brother looked up from where he sat, crouched over his books and huddled in a scratchy, ratty blanket. "Ah. There you are, Kari." he said gently. "Where have you been? I sent you out shopping hours ago."

Kari put the basket on the table. "Well, first I wound up telling some stories to the kids." she explained. "Then I stopped to watch that new Princess come in."

"Ah." Tai said, setting his record book down and coming to the table. "Yes, I've heard of her. The Princess of Sang-Hi. She was supposed to be betrothed to the Crown Prince, but obviously it didn't work out." He grinned laughingly. "She went storming out the gates this afternoon."

"Too bad." Kari said, sitting in her chair.

"For them at least." Tai set the tin cup, filled with dirty, murky water, next to her. "So, what'd you get with our money?"

"Not much." Kari sighed. "Unless we get another visitor soon, we may go hungry for a while."

"So what else is new?" Tai joked, then broke into a fit of coughing.

His sister pulled out the loaf of bread. "Do you think we could make this last a week?"

"We'll have to try." Tai sighed as he slowly stopped coughing. He peered again into the basket. "Why now, what is this?"

Kari pulled out the tiny, red apple. "I got this for you." she said, holding it out. "I know they're your favorite."

"And yours too." Tai said, pushing it away with a wheeze. "You must have saved your pocket money for months, you eat it."

"No no." Kari pushed it to him. "You need to keep your strength up. You eat it."

Tai picked the apple up. It was small really. He looked at his sister. "We'll share it." he said, rising from the table. He took his only blade, a small, old dagger that had belonged to their father before the plague, from the belt that hung untouched on the hook by the door.

He picked the apple off the table and, after aiming a bit, threw it up. Two perfectly equal halfs landed on the table. Kari smiled. Even though he was sick and forced to stay indoors almost all the time, Tai was still the best with a blade of anyone she'd ever known.

He held one out to his sister. Kari took it and quietly bit into the crispy, but juicy, white flesh of the apple. She felt the juice run down the edges of her lips. She wanted to savor every single bite of this, so she wouldn't miss a taste.

The two sat there in silence for a bit, each munching on their halves. _This is certainly some world. _Tai thought to himself. _When an apple seams like the greatest treat man has known…_

Kari sighed and put down her half. She leaned on one hand and stared at the wall, lost in a day dream. "Tai?" she said. "Have you ever seen the Prince?"

"Prince Takaru?" Tai asked, swallowing a small bite of apple. "No. Never. No one ever has. The assistants in the palace either keep him locked up in there all the time, or he's just some recluse…" 

"Are you sure, Tai?" Kari said, almost desperately. "No one has _ever_ see him?"

Tai took another bit of apple, chewed it thoughtfully for a minute, then swallowed. "Actually, now that I think about it, he did come down the village once…"

"What?" Kari cried. "He what? When?"

Tai washed down a bite of apple with a swig of water. "It was a couple of years ago." he said thoughtfully, thinking back. "Before the plague came. That was…how long ago?"

"Eight years ago." Kari said sadly. "That's when mother and father died."

Tai nodded. "It was before that, so we were busy. I believe you were visiting our family in Greeneville. That was when this town thrived, back when we were once a great kingdom." he licked his lips. "One day, the royal family came through the town to observe and mingle. There was of course the King and Queen, then the original Crown Prince, Yamoto. But then, everyone called him by a nick name. Matt.

"So they rode through, on their tall white horses, with banners flying and trumpets playing like Gabriel's horn. The whole town went out to see them, and it was the most wonderful thing you'd ever seen. especially the Princes themselves. Let's see…Yamoto was twelve, so Prince Takaru must have been…eight."

"So was I!" cried Kari, almost in surprise.

"Yes." Tai smiled at his sister. "Those were happy times indeed. Then the plague struck…" he closed his eyes as they remembered that painful time. "And you know what happened. The city fell into ruin. Plague swept over, killing hundreds. Including mother, father, and the royal parents."

Tai sighed. "Well, about five years after that, the plague left the town in ruins. We were as we are now. And I think Prince Yamoto just couldn't take it anymore. Just before his father died, he denounced his claim to the throne and went off on his own to find some sort of his own inner pleasure. And I can't say I blame him." he bit the apple again and shrugged. "So, that's the whole story. Yamoto ran off and stuck Takaru with the clean up. Their father's will clearly states that he has to marry by his time to accept the throne, his 17th birthday, or he denounces his claim and the throne is handed over the that awful Lord Regent, Daricon."

Tai stood and looked out the window. "I think all that pressure finally cracked under the poor kid's head." he muttered. "Because Takaru withdrew from society all together, and, as he is too young now to accept the throne, Daricon is still in control, and so we lie in ruin."

Kari watched as her brother stared out the cracked and broken window, at the high and mighty castle, as the wind rushed by his face, ending the story.

****

~ * ~ * ~

The clock town in the town church rang steadily. One…Two…Three…Four… Five…Six…Seven…Eight…Nine…Ten…Eleven…Twelve.

As the bells fell silent, a single sheet, knots tied in it along the way, draped out of a window in the castle.

The Crown Prince Takaru checked the tight knot around his bedpost. He had slid the bed closer to the window so he'd have longer to go before he had to jump. "This is the oldest trick in the book." he muttered to himself. "But I've got to get out of here."

He gripped the edge of the rope and began to climb down the wall. At the end, he leapt down to the grass and steadied himself.

He held his breath as he crept to the outer wall. He glanced around the corner, saw no one, then gripped the ivy climbing the bricks, and scaled it. Dropping off to the other side, he looked behind him one more time, then pulled off his shiny red and purple silk clothes and pulled on an earth-colored tunic, leggings, shoes, and a brown hood. "Here we go." he sighed. "The end of one life, and the beginning of another."

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~ * ~ * ~

It was the late morning, almost noon. Kari was staring out the window from her and her brother's private room. It had a full view of the castle. "I wonder what it's like up there…" she muttered.

There was a knock at the lower door. She heard it open, and an unfamiliar voice say. "Hello. I'm looking for a job…"

Tai looked the stranger up and down. "I'm sorry, but we have no openings here." he said. "We can hardly afford to eat, let alone hire extra help."

"I don't need to be paid." the young man said. "All I need is a place to stay, then I'll be happy to help you with anything you need."

"Well, I don't know…"

"Who is it, Tai?"

The young man was startled by the girl's sudden, silent entrance at the foot of the stairs. And he was even more startled by the calm, quiet beauty of her looks.

He was awed by her sweet face and her beautiful, deep auburn-brown eyes. She had skin paler than the finest porcelain and long, brown hair that reached past her shoulders. Even in the dirt-brown dress and dust-covered apron she wore, she was a princess.

Kari, too, was taken aback by the young man that stood before her. His eyes were bluer than a summer sky, his hair as golden as the fall wheat fields, his looks all around, were as though one of the archangels had appeared before her, shining through his earth-colored tunic and dark brown hood.

"Ah. Kari." Tai said, not noticing either reaction. "This young man says he would like to work for us, and the only pay he wants is room and board. You do most of the house work around here, do you think he will come in use?"

"What?" Kari snapped out of it. "Oh. Yes. Yes, of course. He'll be fine."

"Well, then, it's all settled." Tai clapped his hands together. "If you don't mind being under a woman…"

"Oh no, of course not." the boy said calmly.

"…then you're all set." Tai sighed. "Now, if you'd like to get to work right away Mr.…um, what did you say your name was?"

"T.K." the young man said, looking at Kari. "My name is T.K."

**__**

Uh…what else can I say? Review!!!


	2. Chapter 2

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This one seams pretty good from the reviews. I'll try to keep it going, but it's getting awful hard to work with sometimes…

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Disclaimer: Does anyone on this site own Digimon? Uh-huh. I didn't think so.

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Chapter 2

"So, T.K., where did you say you came from?"

Kari was carefully cleaning the broken windows, while T.K. swept up the dirty rushes from the floor and pushed them out the door. "Around." T.K. lied. "I've never stayed in one place more than a few years."

Kari twisted a piece of hair around her finger. Even though she was trying hard not too, she had to admit it to herself: She was falling for this boy. She couldn't help it. It was if the mischievous Cupid had snuck apon her and struck her with his poison arrows square it the heart, sending her humors swooning out of balance.

She quickly turned back to her work, turning a soft shade of red. She wiped the same spot on the window a few times, then stood to move to the next one.

T.K. smiled as he swept the rushes out the door. "Beautiful." he whispered, then blushed as well and hurried to get more rushes for the floor.

Now he couldn't help it. The way she moved, the way she spoke, the way she looked, it all captivated him more than any, any of the princesses he'd ever seen.

T.K. dragged the bushel of rushes into the rooms. He unwrapped them and began to spread them across the floor with his broom.

As he was almost finished, Kari looked up the stairs. "Tai!" she called. "Supper time!" she looked at T.K. and smiled. "It's time for dinner. No more work today."

"Um…Okay." T.K. sat at the table.

Tai came in, setting down his calendar and pulling the scratchy blanket around his shoulders with a sigh. "If we don't get another guest soon, we could be in trouble." he sighed.

Kari brought out the loaf of bread. It was down to three pieces now. T.K. grimaced. He'd been working here a week, and meal time was the worse. He always felt so guilty, taking precious bread away from these poor folks.

Kari held a slice out to him. He waved it away. "No thanks. You eat it."

The girl looked surprised. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah." T.K. stood. "I'm really…tired. I think I'll just head to bed now." He began upstairs. "Good night."

Kari looked down at the piece in her hand, then back at T.K. "You're sure?" she asked.

"Yes." T.K. was about to disappear upstairs. "Goodnight!"

He vanished. Kari sighed, broke the bread, and gave half to her brother. "He certainly is a strange one." Tai murmured. "Doesn't he know this may be the last dinner this inn serves for a good while?"

Kari shook her head, and slowly, very slowly, the began to eat.

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~ * ~ * ~

T.K. pulled the only thing he had taken with him, a fine, red leather-bound book of the stories of the saints, out of his brown bag and began to read his favorite, the story of Saint George and the Dragon.

He was always captivated by the story, and by the beautiful pictures. But now, he wanted to look at just one, single picture.

He gazed down at the book as the daring Sr. George brandished his sword at the evil dragon. The dragon's scales were shiny and green, with vicious, glowing, yellow eyes. Behind him, the beautiful princess of the near by town stood captive, in ready to be slaughtered if George did not succeed in killing the beast.

But T.K. knew how the story went. George would kill the dragon with one swipe of his mighty lance, and then convert the whole village to Christianity. But he was focused on the two figures. The girl's hair was auburn brown, and the saint's was blonde. His imagination soared, and he could almost see himself as the gallant Saint George, and the girl, Kari, as a princess even more beautiful than the one in the book.

His thoughts were interrupted by a huge, powerful knock on the front door of the inn, followed by it crashing open with a deafening _BOOM!_ T.K. leapt out of bed and ran to the top of the stairs.

"Oh, Tai!" Kari cried.

Her brother had been thrown to the ground by the leader of the royal guards, as he was defined by his red silk clothes and yellow cape. Three members of the guard stood behind him in the door.

"We're here to collect your taxes, wretch." the captain barked. "Now had over your pay."

Tai stood shakily. "Please. You've taken everything we have. There is nothing left to pay with." he said with a slight wheeze. 

The guard knocked him to the ground again. "Pay up, you miserable heap of bones!" he snapped. "Or you'll be thrown into the dungeons until you can!"

Kari grabbed his arm. "Please. He speaks the truth." she begged. "We have nothing left."

"Oh really?" the guard hissed. He grabbed Kari's wrist and held her hand up. A single, golden ring, very plain with nothing on it, shone on her ring finger. "Then what would this be, little girl?"

"That's the ring my mother gave me…" Kari whimpered. The guard was forcing her arm in a direction it really wasn't supposed to go in. "Before she died…"

"Well, isn't that a sweet story." the guard sniffed. "I think I might cry…Listen, little girl, give us the ring or your brother goes to jail!"

"Leave her be."

They looked up. A young man with golden blonde hair, hiding under a brown hood, stood just down the stairs. "I said, leave her be." he said, approaching the guard.

"You think I should leave this little retch alone?" the guard said, then burst out laughing. He dropped Kari next to her brother and grabbed T.K. by his collar. "Listen, stranger, you obviously don't know who you're talking too. I am the captain of the royal guard."

T.K. pushed away. He reached his hands up and took the edges of his dusty brown hood. "Then I believe you should show just a little more respect."

He pulled down his hood to show his full face and head. The guards stared for a moment, then every last one of them dropped to one knee. "Prince…Prince Takaru!" the captain gasped. "We've been looking all over the city for you!"

"T-T.K.?" Kari gasped.

"_You're _the _prince_?" Tai cried.

T.K. looked away from them. "I was gonna lie low here for while, until I got enough money to get out of town." he glanced sideways at Kari guiltily. "I'm sorry that I lied to you."

The guard stood. "Come, my Prince, we must get you back to the castle." he told the boy, taking him by the arm.

"First, show me what you have collected from the people today." Takaru demanded.

"Of course." the guard opened his satchel to reveal a pile of gold.

The boy looked at it for a moment, picked up a handful, put it in a small brown bag, then turned to the guard. "Give it all back." he said. "Give it back to the people, and don't collect taxes from people who have none without orders _again_."

"Yes sir!" the guard tossed the bag to another one, standing near-by. "You heard the prince. Return it!"

The guard vanished out the door. Takaru helped Kari and Tai up himself. He took the small satchel of gold he had taken and put it in Kari's hand. "It's not a lot." he said. "But it does mean you won't go hungry for a while."

**__**

Kari took it and looked up at him "Are you really…"

"The prince? Yes." he said, turning to leave with the guards. "Unfortunately."

Kari and Tai stood at the door as T.K. climbed onto the free horse from the guard who had left to re-deliver the taxes. As they rode off, into night, Kari looked up at Tai. "Do you think we'll ever see him again?" she asked.

Tai put his arm around her. "I don't know, Kari. I just don't know."

****

~ * ~ * ~

Daricon growled when he saw the boy returned to the castle. _I thought I was rid of him for good._ he thought. _How did he return?_

Cody forced the Prince into a bath. "Being among those peasants for so long, I wouldn't be surprised if you were absolutely riddled with those horrid fleas. Not good at all."

"Aw, Cody." Takaru groaned, going up to his neck in the water. "They're not horrid at all. Tai and Kari were very nice, and very clean…"

"And who would those two be?" Cody demanded.

"The innkeeper and his sister." Takaru said, staring out past him through the window. "They were the ones who took care of me, and they were just so very kind…"

****

~ * ~ * ~

"Tell us another story, Kari! Tell us another, please?"

Kari smiled. It was two weeks later, and she was playing with the local children as she always did. They loved her re-tellings of epic stories, and sometimes they even acted it out.

"Okay then…" she thought for a moment. "What about Sr. George and the Dragon?"

"Naw, we've heard that one before." Thomas shook his head.

"Okay…what about the story of the Unicorn?"

"No, we've heard that one before too." Annie said, making a face.

"We wanna new story, Kari!" Richard cried, and the others joined in.

"New story! New story!"

"Okay okay." Kari said, waving her hands. "Gimme a minute to think."

She closed her eyes and thought for a moment. Then she looked at the castle, high on the hill, over looking them and the whole town. She got a sudden idea. "Okay then." she said, turning to the kids again with a knowledgeable look on her face.. "I've got one that no one, absolutely no one, has ever heard of before."

"What is it, Kari?" Thomas asked, bouncing up and down. "I can't wait!"

Kari closed her eyes. "Once there was a girl…"

"Was she a princess?" Annie asked.

"No." Kari said, smiling as she looked at the sky. "She wasn't a princess. She was a normal girl, just like us. She and her father owned a small inn, just at the edge of town. They were very poor, barely able to afford the bread that they needed to survive every day, and her father was sick."

A small gaggle of things like: "I know how that feels." "Who isn't hungry anymore?" and "Just like us." came from the kids.

Kari continued her story. "Now one day, a strange boy about the girl's age, wearing a dark hood that hid his face, appeared at their inn, looking for a job. At first the girl's father said they couldn't afford any extra help, but he accepted when the boy offered to work only for a room in the inn. So the boy worked at the inn for a week, and during that time the girl could feel her heart thump with the beats of gentle love for him. Then one night, the tax collectors came to get the small family's taxes. But the girl and her father had nothing to pay with, so the guards threatened to arrest the girl's father."

The kids on the ground breathed out in suspense. Kari leaned forward as she came to the climax. "But just before the father was led away, a voice suddenly came from the stairs and shouted 'Stop!'" she took a blanket from one of the captivated kids and pulled it over her head like a hood. "There at the foot of the stairs, like the mighty Saint George about to slay the dragon, stood the mysterious stranger. 'Leave them be!' he cried, marching to the captain of the guard.

"The captain laughed and took the boy by his collar. 'Who do you think you are talking too?' he hissed like the villain snake 'I am the Captain of the Royal Guard'. The boy pushed gallantly away, took the edge of his hood like so," she gripped the edges of the rag, "and said, 'Then I think you should pay just a bit more respect.' With that, he pulled down his dark hood," she pulled the cloth away and dropped it back to the boy below. "and everyone recognized him as the crown prince of the land."

The kids ohed and ahed. "What happened then, Kari?" Thomas cried, bouncing up and down. "What happened then?"

Kari grinned. "The prince looked at the captain, took his sack of stolen gold, gave some to the girl and her father, and then sent another guard off to give the rest back to the people in the village." 

Someone whispered, "That's what happened a couple of weeks ago." but Kari ignored them and continued.

"And so, the prince turned to the girl and her father and said, 'I'm sorry to have lied to you.' and then he and the guards traveled back to the castle. As they rode off into the darkness, the girl wondered if she'd ever see the prince again."

She fell silent as the church bells rang six times. "So what happened, Kari?" Richard asked.

"Did the girl ever see the prince again?" Annie asked.

"Did they fall in love?" Catherine asked.

"Did a dragon come?" Michael asked.

"Or an evil wizard?" Thomas asked.

Kari looked at the sky. "I'm afraid we'll have to save that for another day." she said. The kids groaned. "Now now, your parents will be worried about you." Kari shooed them down the hill. "Go on. We'll finish this later."

"Okay." the kids began to head down the hill. "See you tomorrow, Kari!"

She could hear them as they ran home. Hear them talking: "I can't wait to see what happens." "Bet they fall in love!" "Maybe a dragon will capture the girl, and the prince will have to save her!" "Yeah, or even better…"

Kari smiled. She was glad the gang had gotten such and enchanted fascination with what had really happened. She brushed her bangs out of her eyes and looked up at the castle. "I wonder how it'll really end…" she muttered.

****

~ * ~ * ~

"Tai! I'm home!" Kari called, coming into the inn. "Tai?" she looked around the edge of the door and gasped. "Tai!"

Her brother's hands were tied behind his back with thick rope and he was surrounded by a gaggle of royal guards. Tai looked as though he'd been in a really bad fight. There was a cut bleeding above his right eye. "Tai! What are you doing to him?! Leave him alone!" Kari tried to run to her brother, but the guards grabbed her by her arms and threw her across the room.

"Your brother here is under arrest." the leader said. "He is to be locked in the dungeons to await his execution."

"What?!" Kari cried, struggling to her feet. She grabbed the leader's arm. "Please sir, he's very sick. He's not supposed to leave the inn."

"I'm sorry miss, but orders are orders." The guards began to drag Tai out the door. 

"But he's done nothing wrong!" Kari cried. "He hasn't left the inn for months!"

"That's not what this says." the leader said, thrusting an arrest warrant into Kari's hands as they disappeared.

Kari pulled it up to see it better and read the warrant. "…It is now decreed that Tai Kamiya, the innkeeper of the village Westwood, is under arrest for high treason to the crown… death at the gallows…by order of…… His Majesty, the Crown Prince, Lord Takaru of Ishida!?"

Kari looked up in panic, out the window, at the castle where her brother was being taken. In a rush of frightened instinct, she knew exactly what she had to do.

****

~ * ~ * ~

"Prince Takaru, are you feeling alright?"

The Chief Advisor felt the boy's head. "Yes yes, Cody, I'm fine." T.K. muttered, pushing his hand away. "I'm just thinking. Go away."

The Advisor vanished out the door to attend to other manners. T.K. set his head on the windowsill and looked out at to country side. He sighed. He glanced down at the garden and saw the last thing he ever expected. "Kari!"

Kari ran up the hill and to the huge, iron gates on the castle wall. She banged on them angrily. "Let me in! Let me in!" she shouted. "Tai! Tai!"

"Kari!"

The Prince himself ran to the gates and threw them open. The angry girl burst in. "What's wrong?" he asked. "What's the matter?"

"The matter!" Kari shouted. "_This _is the matter!"

She thrust the warrant into the boy's face. T.K. took it and scanned his eyes over the page, and she could hear him muttering: "Tai Kamiya…Under arrest…Treason…Gallows…By order of…Takaru of Ishida?!" he looked up in confusion. "I gave no such order!" 

He took her wrist, a look of fury burning in his eyes. "Come on Kari, we'll get to the bottom of this!"

****

~ * ~ * ~

"Guard! Guard!"

The sleepy guard looked up, then stood at rigid attention. "Your Majesty!" he gasped. "What can I do for you, sire?"

Takaru thrust the paper at him. "Tell me who issued this order." he demanded.

The guard scanned his eyes over the page. "Why you, Milord."

Takaru took a step back. Kari glared at him accusingly. "I did no such thing!" he snapped. "Now tell me who issued this!"

The guard shook his head. "No sire. The Lord Daricon has made your orders clear."

Takaru stepped back. He composed himself, and thought for a moment. "Daricon made my orders clear, huh?" he muttered. He looked at the guard. "Here's an order. Release him."

The guard stepped back this time. "What?"

"You heard me." the prince snapped. "Release him and everyone else down there. All prisoners have been pardoned. Understand?" the guard stood at attention and nodded. "Good. Now wait a moment."

Takaru turned to the girl. "Kari, I apologize greatly for this." he said sincerely. "I had no idea."

Kari knew she couldn't be mad at him, no matter how she'd acted. "I knew it couldn't be right." she sighed, smiling as she reached slowly out and touched his arm.

Takaru's face reddened and his hands slipped behind his back. He turned to the guard. He cleared his throat. "T-Take her down to release her brother." he said. "I-I need to meet with Lord Daricon."

He moved his collar around nervously and left.

The guard pushed his hat up. "Yes sire" he said. "Come with me, miss."

He opened a heavy, wooden door. Lifting a torch into the air, he shone it down a set of dark stairs. He turned and motioned for Kari to follow, which she did.

They walked through a dark corridor, lined with heavy, wooden doors with bars on them. Every now and then they'd stop, the guard would open the door, grumble to whoever inside, "The Prince has pardoned all prisoners." and whoever was inside would race out, praising God, Jesus, Heaven, Hosanna, the Prince, and everything else they could think of.

The final door had was giant and wooden, at the very end of the hall. There was a large notice on it that read Death at Dawn, and underneath was a skull and crossbones. The guard opened the door and Kari let out a sigh. "Oh, Tai!"

Her brother's arms were chained to the wall, and a huge shackle around his neck, also attached to the wall. He looked up. "K-Kari?" he gasped, wheezing and coughing slightly against the dust. "What…cough cough…What are you doing here?"

Kari knelt by her brother as the guard undid the chains. "Prince Takaru has pardoned all the prisoners." The guard huffed down to the now-freed innkeeper.

"It wasn't him, Tai!" Kari smiled through happy tears. "T.K. didn't get you arrested!"

Tai rubbed his wrists, then his neck. "Well, praise the Lord." he whispered. "I knew that boy wouldn't do something like this."

****

~ * ~ * ~

"Daricon!"

The Lord Regent turned. "Why Prince Takaru." he said calmly. "What can I do for you?"

Takaru stormed to him and snatched up the man's collar. Though Daricon was much older, Takaru was about the same size as him. "Don't 'what can I do for you' me." he growled. "I've found out about you little order to arrest the town innkeeper."

"Yes? And?" Daricon hissed.

"And you are never, ever, _ever_ to fill out _anything_ in my name again." the boy was shaking with rage. "Got it?"

Takaru released his collar and stormed out of the room. "Of course…My Lord…" Daricon hissed viciously. "Of course…"

**__**

Why can't I ever think of something catchy to put down here, huh?


	3. Chapter 3

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How many times must I say it? Digimon is not mine. All I own is one very messy desktop and a scooter with broken wheels.

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Chapter 3

"Tell us more, Kari! Tell us more!" Annie begged.

"Well…" Kari stood and swooped around in front of the kids, the 'cape' flying out behind her. Catherine was standing beside her on the stump, giggling like mad "Then the Prince turned to the girl and said, 'I apologize greatly for this. I had no idea.' The girl sighed, and reached her hand out to touch his." she lead Catherine's hand to hers. "And she told him she knew it couldn't have been him."

Kari immediately crouched back and pulled the cloak up to her chin. "But the prince was deadly shy by the prospect of the girl, and he pulled away. Then he turned to the guard and told him to take the girl down and fetch her father, while he went out and dealt with the Lord Regent."

She pulled the 'cloak' off and gave it back to Gregory. The church bell rang six times. Kari grinned. "Time to go home now, children." she said. "I'll see you later."

"Bye Kari!" the kids once again ran down the hill and into their homes.

Kari grinned and turned to leave. She walked down the hill, swinging her basket and feeling the grass against her bare feet. A familiar voice rang out. "Kari!"

She looked up. "Tai!" she cried. "What are you doing up here? It's got to be bad for your condition!"

Her brother looked wild with excitement. "The Prince just sent a messenger." he gasped. "He wants to give you a job, a real job! With good pay and free room. You'd be perfect Kari!"

"But I'd be leaving you short-handed!" Kari said, "I can't do that…"

Tai looked at his sister for a moment. Then he reached out and took her hand. "Please, Kari." he begged. "Please take the job!" 

Kari shook her head slowly. He sighed, and fingered the ring on her hand. "You know I…I promised mother…before she died… I promised her I'd take care of you. I promised her I'd make sure you had the best we could. And this is the only way we really can now." he looked at her earnestly. "Please, Kari. Take the job. Please."

"But…Tai…"

"_Please _Kari. _Please_."

Kari looked at his face. He was pleading with her to take this job. She sighed. "All right. I'll do it…"

Tai sighed with relief. "You really don't know what this means to me, Kari." he said earnestly, releasing her hand. "You're my sister… Since I got sick, I feel like I've made you take care of me. I feel like I'm holding you back from what you're supposed to do." he broke into a fit of coughing.

Kari put her hands on his shoulders to support him. "Here. I'll get you back to the inn." she said, pulling his arm over her.

****

~ * ~ * ~

Daricon gazed over the landscape out his window. He smiled an evil smile. "Prefect." he hissed. "This will get that little rat out of my hair for good…There's only one problem…"

There was a flaw in his plan. If he was to drag the boy out, someone was bound to notice. "I have the plan…" he growled. "But all I need is…the bait…"

"Prince Takaru." Cody announced. "The girl you summoned is here."

Takaru smiled and sat up eagerly. Kari came slowly into the huge palace hall, filled with red and gold satin, white carvings, huge portraits of what she assumed must be the royal family past and present. The thrones, a large one for the soon-too-be-king, and a smaller one for the queen, sat apon a light raise of stairs.

The prince ran down the steps to meet her. "Kari! I am so glad to see…" he coughed, straightened himself up and became sort of stiff. "I mean, I'm glad you decided to accept my offer. We could use your help."

"Hello, your Majesty…" Kari whispered.

Takaru looked at her worriedly. "Is something the matter?"

Kari looked up at him. "I'm worried about Tai." she said, upset. "You know, he's sick…I don't know if I should have taken this job…"

"I offered him a job too." the prince said. "I asked him to work on some of the books up here, in the library, but he refused."

Kari looked down, gazing guiltily off to one side. "I know it's hard, Kari." Takaru said, touching her shoulder. "But it will get better. I promise. You can visit your brother whenever you'd like. As long as you get your basic job done, no one cares what you do afterwards…" He smiled at her. "I _am_ glad that you accepted my offer…"

__

Kari sighed, turned and smiled at him. "All right then, your majesty." she said politely, curtsying. "What can I do for you?"

"First of all," the prince waved a warning finger at her in a cheerful manner. "Don't call me 'Prince' 'Your Majesty' or even 'Takaru'. I don't care weither you work for me or not, but just call me T.K."

Kari smiled a bit more. "Alright then, T.K." she said, pulling her arms behind her back. "What is to be my job?"

T.K. smiled. "I'm making you the head of this house hold, under my dear advisor Cody." he grinned over his shoulder at the man standing by the throne, who acted very stiff but allowed a slight smile to trickle out. "Since you know so much about keeping a home good, clean, and friendly, you'll be in charge of our small cleaning staff…and of the garden, if you would like."

Kari looked down, shifted her weight, and smiled. The garden was outside of the main castle walls, at the top of the high cliff. It was originally planted by the King for the Prince's Lady Mother, and was filled with roses, tulips, carnations, and bushes of exotic, imported flowers. At the very edge was a high, steep cliff that curved inward, and the castle with its garden sat about a hundred feet from an inland sea, which was filled with monstrous currents.

T.K. continued. "Also, since I know how important Tai is to you, you can have any time during the week you want to go visit him. And as for your wages…"

"Couldn't you send them to him instead?" Kari asked, looking up. "To Tai, I mean…He's the one who really needs the money."

T.K. smiled. "I thought you would say that." he turned and called the royal advisor over. "Cody, please show Kari where she will be staying, and the deeper extent of her duties, if you would be so kind." he instructed. "I'm afraid I have business to attend to…"

"Yes, my lord." the advisor said with a bow.

T.K. gave him a sigh of laughing exasperation, then turned for the throne as Cody began to lead Kari off. As she passed, however, he slipped one of the pink roses from the garden into her hand, wrapped in a white cloth so as not to prick her. She looked down, surprised, and he gave her a secret smile. She returned it, then followed Cody out the door.

****

~ * ~ * ~

The next few weeks went pretty smoothly. Kari became more and more at home in the palace, spending hours in the garden, tending the flowers, and even more time inside, cleaning and instructing the maids and butlers. T.K., meanwhile, was ever so slightly showing her his feelings, starting with the flower he handed her, and leading up to notes in her room, and talking while she worked and he studied.

As they got closer, Daricon could see that special glimmer in both of their eyes. And he knew that it was time to strike, and he would finally get all he ever dreamed of…

"Tai!" Kari called, stepping into the inn after three weeks. "I've come to…visit?"

Her brother wasn't, as he had been for months, either lying in bed or wrapped in a scraggly blanket. His face was not pale or flushed, but full and rosy-cheeked. His eyes sparkled in a way they had not since the plague.

"Hello, Kari!" he called from where he was sweeping the floor exuberantly. "How are you faring at the palace?"

Kari still could hardly speak. "T-Tai…" she gasped. "You're…out of bed…"

"I know, isn't it great?" Tai said, setting his broom against the wall. "The doctor came by last week and changed his orders, saying that fresh air and motion was just what I needed, as long as I stay dry and warm. So now look at me! I'm better than ever!"

"That's great, Tai!" Kari cheered enthusiastically. "I can't believe it, you look so…so much…"

"Better?"

"Exactly!"

They talked for a long while longer, then Kari heard the clock strike four. "Oh dear…Tai, I'm afraid I have to go." she said apologetically. "I'll be back to visit soon!"

"See you then!" Tai called as she shut the door.

Kari grinned to herself and began to move back towards the castle. She was glad, really, that Tai was feeling better, but part of her was a little hurt. It was like, the moment she left and he didn't have to worry about her, he'd gotten better.

She was so deep in her own thoughts, she didn't hear the footsteps behind her. It took several minutes before she heard the approaching noises.

She stopped and turned around. "Hello?" she called, glancing over her shoulder, both ways. "Who's there? Hello?" But there was no one.

There was a sudden rush of noise to her right. Her head snapped around and she had just enough time to see her attacker before he fell on her.

****

~ * ~ * ~

T.K. sighed and set down his book back on the shelf in the library. He stretched for the ceiling, glanced around, saw no one, and secretly decided to 'walk in' on Kari as she worked on one of the rooms.

He slid into the master bedroom, but she wasn't there. Not the kitchen, the dinning room, the halls or anything. She just wasn't there at all.

He approached the Great Hall and decided to stop being so quiet. "Kari?" he called, and his voice echoed through the empty hall. "Kari, are you in here?"

"My Lord?"

From the shadows stepped Daricon, his cloak swishing along behind him. T.K. jumped, then recomposed himself. "Oh…Lord Daricon. Have you seen Kari?"

"Kari? Oh, you mean the village girl?" Daricon asked, thinking for a moment. "Why, I believe she's been tending the garden all morning."

"Ah." T.K. tried to remain stiff, like he was supposed to. "Thank you, Lord Daricon. That will be all." was murmured, and he hurried out to the garden.

Kari was bent over a task by the bushes near the edge of the cliff. She looked as though she was planting a new flower. T.K. grinned and carefully plucked one of the blue and pink flowers from a near-by bush, came up as silently as he could behind her and tapped her on the shoulder. "Oh, Ka-ri…"

The girl turned and T.K. nearly fell over. A piece of white cloth was tied around her mouth so she couldn't speak. Her arms were bound to her sides with heavy rope, which had been hidden by her shawl. Her ankles, too, were bound tightly with the same heavy coils.

"What is this?" T.K. demanded, going for the ropes around her. "Kari, what happened?"

Kari's gag was still in place, but she squirmed loudly and made muffled sounds until he'd loosened her bonds and reached for the gag. As it came loose, she shouted to him. "It's a trap!"

T.K. was startled. "What?!" he asked, flabbergasted.

"Behind you!" the girl warned, and Takaru spun around just as a pair of hands wrapped in red and black gave them both an almighty shove.

Kari and the prince went flying off the edge of the high cliffs and plunged into the sea.

****

~ * ~ * ~

There came a knock on the Inn door late that night. Tai looked up from his figures. "Now who could that be?" he asked out loud, rising to answer it.

He opened the door to find a frazzled-looking young man, about the same age as he was, with short, dark brown hair and dark eyes. "Mr. Tai Kamiya?" he asked.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry to bother you at this time of night…" he looked a mite upset. "My name is Cody Hida, I'm the Royal Advisor up at the palace…"

"Oh, I see." Tai opened the door at bit wider. "Please come in."

"Thank you." the man stepped inside and Tai closed the door behind him.

"Please." Tai pointed to the two chairs at the table. "Take a seat."

Cody sat down and brushed himself off. Tai looked up. "I there something wrong at the palace?" he asked, a little concerned.

"Very wrong." the advisor sighed, brushing back his hair.

"What…" Tai stuttered. "Why? Did something happen to the Prince?"

"The Prince." said Cody seriously. "Is dead."

Tai started in surprise. "What?!" he gasped.

Cody's face was grim. "Your sister as well…"

_"What?!"_ Tai squeaked, dropping the book he'd been holding in total surprise. "Kari…The Prince…"

"Both dead." Cody said grimly. He looked down at the floor, like holding back tears.

"But…how?" Tai gasped. "_How?!_"

Cody sighed again. "The Lord Daricon was watching from his tower window when it happened." he sighed. "They were talking, walking together on the cliff edge. The girl slipped. Prince Takaru tried to help her, but they both…" he dropped off.

Tai sat there, stunned. "The prince…Dead…" he whispered in shock. "Kari…My sister…my baby sister…Dead…"

Cody whipped his eye and set his hands on the table. "The Prince…" he whispered. "Takaru…more than a prince…he was my dearest friend…Dead…"

There was a silence. "Now what will happen?" Tai asked quietly, looking away. "Daricon will take over, right?"

"Yes." Cody answered grimly. "He will."

"Then how do we know he didn't kill off Takaru and Kari, then dump their bodies in the sea?" Tai demanded angrily. "How do we know he's not a murderer?"

Cody sighed. "We don't." he muttered. "But we have no proof, no choice. Daricon will take over…"

"And after that?" prompted Tai, sitting down.

"After that…I don't know…"


	4. Chapter 4

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I hate my computer…This is the THIRD time I've had to write this thing over, because my *beeping* computer threw out the other two files. Dang…

Please don't pound me with 'that's Taichi and Hikari's last name!' because of the mention of the Yagamis in this chapter. It was just the only thing I could think of, and has no connection to anything else.

I would've said, in response to the many "WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED?!" reviews I got, that I would never kill T.K. or Kari…But if you've read some of my other fics, you know this is about as true as rumors of penguins in the Amazon.

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Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, never have, never will.

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Chapter 4

Kari groaned and opened her eyes. Light. Lots of light. Was she dead?

She closed her eyes again. No, not dead. She always thought that when you were dead you were supposed to feel all free and floaty. All she felt right now was a head ache.

With a final grown, she pulled herself up and blinked until she could see. She was sitting on a dirt floor, inside a small, tiny little thatched hut. She was by one of the brown clay walls. The light came from a small window above her, and a fireplace on the back wall, with a door opposite. There was a table nearby, with two chairs next to it. The only other furniture was a small straw bed and a knitted green blanket.

Someone groaned. She looked down. T.K. was lying next to her, barely conscious, his hair caked with dirt. It looked like rolling in the mud and letting it dry. Lifting a hand to rub through her own hair, she found it the same way, caked solid and crispy.

There was a click and a swish as the door outwards swung in. "Oh, you're awake!" the figure cried. "How wonderful!"

Standing there was a woman, maybe three or four years older than herself, holding a wooden bucket in each hand. She had long, violet hair and gentle eyes that had a happy look to them, and a sweet smile. She was dressed in a dark red dress that reached the floor and a brown shawl.

She set down her buckets and turned to her guest. "I'm so glad." she smiled. "You've been out so long, we didn't know when you'd wake up."

Kari blinked. "Um…not to be rude or anything…" she muttered as politely as she could. "But…Who are you?"

The woman started a moment, then grinned. "Oh, how scatterbrained of me." she sighed. "To go on talking without introducing myself. My name is Yolei."

Kari stood and brushed herself off. "I'm Kari." she said, smiling. She liked this woman. "It's very nice to meet you."

Yolei nodded, then motioned to the two chairs by the table. "Please, sit down. We have much to talk about."

Kari did as she was told. Yolei took a wooden cup, dipped it into one of her buckets, and held it out to her for a drink. Kari, realizing suddenly how thirsty she was, took it and gulped down the coolest, cleanest, sweetest water she'd had for a long time.

Yolei must have noticed how thirsty she was, because she refilled her cup many times and allowed the younger girl to drink until she could hold no more.

"Thank you!" Kari gasped when she'd finished, wiping her lip. "I had no idea I was so thirsty!"

"It's perfectly natural." Yolei laughed. "After all, you've been out for two days straight, with nothing to eat or drink. I suspect that when your friend awakens, he shall be thirsty as well."

Kari smiled. "Speaking of which…" she tried to work it out. "Where on earth are we?"

"You are in my cottage." Yolei said calmly, stroking her hair. "In the village of Kingswillis."

"Kingswillis?!" Kari gasped, standing suddenly and leaning over the table. "But… But isn't that ruled by the Yagamis?!"

"The same."

"B-B-But…But we were just in Westwood, under the Ishidas!"

"Ah." Yolei smoothed her dress. "Now I understand…You see, my fiancé pulled you two out of the inland sea, clinging to some driftwood, while he was fishing almost two days ago. You must have fallen in…perhaps he tried to pull you out and slipped as well."

"Fallen…In?" Kari strained to remember, and then it came back in a rush. "Daricon……"

Before Yolei could ask what the heck she was talking about, T.K. awoke. He jolted upright and almost hit his head on the table. "What the…?!?" he gasped. "Where am I?! What's going on?! Ow!" He grabbed at a place on his arm that had been wounded, but now was wrapped in a clean linen bandage.

Kari crouched behind him and started messaging his shoulders to clam him down. "It's okay, T.K.…" she whispered. "We're in Kingswillis."

"Kingswillis?" T.K. shook his head. "How'd we get here?"

Kari gave him a very serious look. T.K.'s face darkened as it came to his mind too. "Oh…That's right." he muttered. "Daricon…"

Yolei glanced between the two of them, wondering where they had come from and what in the world they were doing.

Suddenly, with a bang, the door swung open. Standing there was a handsome young man, with black hair a deep, deep dark eyes, dressed in brown. He brushed his hair back, and he smiled cheerily.

Yolei stood, a smile spreading over her face, and greeted him with a joyous, "Ken! You're home!"

They hugged and he planted a kiss on her cheek. Then he glanced down at their visitors and smiled. "Well well well!" he laughed heartily. "I see you've awoken! Wonderful!"

Yolei smiled. "Kari, dear, this is my fiancé, Ken." she turned to the man. "Ken, this is Kari and…"

"Uh…T.K.…" the prince muttered, after glancing over his shoulder at Kari for the approving nod that they could be trusting. "My name's T.K."

"A pleasure." Ken helped Kari to her feet like a true gentleman, then held out his hand for T.K. With a tug, he pulled the boy up-right, then greeted him with a hearty hand shake. "You some kinda royalty?"

Kari and T.K. both jumped a foot. He glance at her, but she shook her head to say _I never told them_. T.K. turned back to Ken. "W-Well…I-I mean, yes!" he stammered. "H-How'd you know?"

Ken grinned. "Not many 'round here wears that bright a shade or that thin a clothing."

T.K. glanced down. He was wearing a rather thin outfit, made of satin like Cody usually had him wear, in a bottle green. He turned a bit red. "Um…yes…" he muttered. "I uh…don't suppose you have an extra set I can borrow? I wouldn't want to draw attention to myself…"

"Of course." Ken's face darkened just a bit. "But first…Would you mind telling us how in the world you could have floated in from that sea?"

Kari and T.K. glanced at each other, nodded, and began. They told this couple everything, from their meeting, to Kari working at the castle, to Daricon's trap. When they were done, Yolei looked horrified.

"So this…this Daricon guy…tried to get rid of you?" she gasped, putting her hand over her mouth. "How awful!"

Ken, at the same time, had become very quite in thought. He suddenly stood, disappeared outside, then came back in with a large piece of rolled parchment. He spread it out on the table.

It was a very nice map of the inland sea and surrounding areas. On one side, towards the middle of the sea, was a dot labeled Westwood. Lower, near the bottom, was labeled Kingwillis. There was a slightly curving path connecting the two, half of which was covered by a dense forest.

Ken traced the path with his fingers. "From what I can tell…You've got about a six day's walk to Westwood. And that's if you can get a guide through the woods."

"But…" Kari calculated on her fingers. "We've already been gone two days…or maybe three or four, floating around…"

"It would only take Daricon a day and a half to seize control, if I know him." T.K. muttered. "He's probably got the whole town on its knees by now."

Ken looked up from the map. "It's a dangerous road." he warned. "There are animals, and robbers. People who'll kill a man and do a woman worse. Sure you wanna risk it?"

"We've got to…" Kari was whispering now. Yolei glanced at her worriedly. "I'm worried…About my brother, and my friends…the life'll be sucked out of all of them by the time we get home…"

Ken rolled up his map. "Alright then." he sighed. "You'll have to leave as soon as possible. Tomorrow morning should give us enough time. Agreed?"

Kari and T.K. nodded. Yolei stood. "Alright then." she clapped her hands together. "Kari, come with me. We've got a lot of work to do."

~ * ~ * ~

The next day, Ken escorted the two to the edge of the town, pointed the way, showed them where to go on the map, and bid them farewell. Kari was in a clean brown dress she'd gotten from Yolei, and her shawl had been washed, back to its dark red. T.K. had thrown out his princely clothes, and donned another earth-gray tunic. They both carried a pack, stuffed full with food and supplies, as well as a small purse of money T.K. had with him, to pay for stays at the inns.

They listened well to Ken's warning of caution, but for the first two days of the trip nothing happened. They walked about ten hours a day, as long as the sky was light. The first night they stayed out-of-doors, but now they were at an inn, somewhere just before the forest.

"From the looks of it…" T.K. examining the map closely. "The forest itself'll take us about three days. But once we're through that, we should be only about half a day from Westwood."

There was a small clunk. Two rich, foamy drinks were set on the table the two were leaning over. They looked up. The innkeeper, a red-haired man named Izumi, was smiling down at them.

"On the house." he gestured. "You two look pretty cold. These'll warm you up real good."

"Oh!" Kari smiled, and picked hers up. "Thank you!"

T.K. lifted his up too. It wasn't alcoholic, but it did warm them to the bone with every sip, and was quite enjoyable. Tasted kinda like mint leaves and ginger at the same time, but not quite like either.

Izumi leaned over an glanced at the map. "You two aren't really planning to go through those woods alone, now are you?" he asked. Both nodded. "You shouldn't risk it. There's no real trail, you could get lost for weeks. It's safer to go around."

"We've gotta go through." T.K. pressed. "It's the faster, and we've really got to get to Westwood as soon as possible."

Izumi saw determination in the young man's eyes. "Alright then…" he sighed. "But you shouldn't go without a guide."

"Do you know where we could find one?" Kari asked. "Someone around here maybe?"

"Well…" Izumi considered. "I sure don't know, and not many around here risk it…But there is one guy…"

He pointed at a young man in the corner, about the same age as T.K. and Kari. He had short brown hair and brown eyes. His skin was tanned golden brown from the sun, and he was dressed in a navy blue cloak.

"That guy is probably your best choice." he continued. "His name's Daisuke, but everyone calls him Davis. He's been through that woods a dozen times over. He knows it better than anyone."

T.K. glanced over at the boy as he finished the drink. He didn't look too bad, but maybe just a little vain. He wasn't at all the kind he would have chosen if there was another, but since he was the only one he'd have to do.

"Thank you." he stood, setting the empty glass down on the table. "We'll go talk to him right away. We have to get to Westwood."

"Wait up, T.K." Kari set her empty glass down, then followed him across the room to the guide.

Davis was leaning back in the corner chair, sipping one of the hot drinks. He glanced up as the two approached him, and locked eyes with the prettiest young girl he'd ever seen. Her hair, her eyes, everything about her captivated him.

"Excuse me." T.K. asked as they came up. "Are you the one they call Daisuke?"

"Davis, if you will." he said airily, not taking his eyes off of Kari.

"Yes…" T.K.'s eyes narrowed. "We need to get through the woods…quickly."

"That's what I do." Davis stood. "It's twenty pieces a man, ten a woman, and I'll be glad to show you through."

T.K. sighed. "Fine." he muttered, then realized he'd left the pouch back at their table and had to go back for it.

As he left, Davis took Kari's hand and lifted it to his lips, a sign of respect for a woman and quite common in those days, but you would never do it to a mere peasant girl unless you thought of her more.

Kari pulled her hand away. "Don't do that anymore." she whispered, before T.K. appeared with the pouch.

"There." he pulled out the thirty pieces and handed them to the guide. "There's your price. Now shall we get started?"

Davis glanced out the window. It was dripping with rain. "I'm afraid we'll have to left 'til this rain stops. It ain't good traveling weather." he stood and pulled on a hat that had been sitting beside him. "Tomorrow, I think, would be the best time to leave. I shall see you in the morning."

He disappeared up the stairs to his room. T.K.'s eyes remained narrowed. "Somethin' the matter?" Kari asked.

"I don't like that guy." T.K. muttered. "Too cocky for his own good."


	5. Chapter 5

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Yawn…Double yawn…Boy, even one show a night can really take it outta you…We just finished 3 days of Annie at my school, and brother, am I tired…(falls asleep on the keyboard)

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Shock: There she goes again…(shakes sister awake)

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GS: What?! Oh…yeah…Just a note: I do not at all see Davis as a Benedict Arnold, or even more so, a lecher, but it just seamed like something a vain, love-sick guide in one of these stories would do. Bashing warning. *Falls asleep again*

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Shock: Oh boy…Looks like I gotta finish the job. **Disclaimer: **_Sis here doesn't own Digimon. But **I** plan to someday…*evil laughter*_

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Chapter 5

The group of three set out for Westwood that next morning. Davis was, despite his vain attitude, a good guide, and lead T.K. and Kari through the wood quickly and easily. That first night they slept under the branches of a great, twisted oak, each on their own pallet. Kari was nearest the trunk, T.K. next to her, and Davis farthest out.

That night, the guide snuck quietly away once he had made sure the other two were asleep. Once out of hearing range, he pulled a small sliver whistle from inside he tunic and blew on it softly.

For a moment, nothing happened. But the, a figure dropped from the trees above and landed in front of him, followed by another, and another, until there were about a dozen of them there.

The leader pushed his cloak back, then scoffed. "So, it's you, Daisuke." he muttered. "What do you want? And you better pay good this time."

"Plenty." he grinned, tossing a purse forward.

The leader bent down, scooped up the pouch, and dumped fifteen gold coins into his palm. Replacing them with a grin, he looked back up at Davis. "Alright then, Daisuke, what's the job?"

"I'm leading a couple through these woods." Davis's eyes shone mischievously. "And I'd like to have a little time alone with the lady. Midnight, my man, you and your band attack tomorrow. Get her away, if you can. Give me a chance to 'rescue' her. Then I'll take it from there."

"And this man with her?" Midnight asked, tucking the pouch away.

"Do what you have to." Davis grinned. "I don't care what you do to him, just get the job done."

"Got it." Midnight turned back towards his band.

"One more thing." the vandal stopped. "Make sure neither one finds out I set you up for this."

"Don't I always?" Midnight scoffed, and vanished into the trees.

~ * ~ * ~

The next morning went smoothly. They made about two miles in the woods, until finally breaking for a midday meal near a soft spring. This gave Kari, kneeling beside it, a chance to wash weeks worth of dirt and sweat from her face and hands.

T.K. pulled a loaf he'd bought off the woman in the inn from his bag and broke it into three pieces. He held one out to Davis, who took it. The guide seamed edgy, for one reason or another. T.K. was keeping a close eye on him, even as he set the middle portion on Kari's bag for when she was finished and started to eat his own.

Kari suddenly screamed. Both young men leapt to their feet, pulling swords from their sheaves. T.K. hadn't touched his since he'd gotten it from Ken three days earlier.

"Stay back…get away from me!" Kari was faced by about half a dozen men, pressing her back against the edge of the pool. "Leave me alone!"

"Back off!" T.K. raced forward, knocked one of them back, and forced his way in front of Kari.

Davis, at the same time, was fending off another group of six, obviously from the same band by the black outfits they wore, who were facing him. "Really, no honor these days!" he was muttering. "Attacking a woman!"

The largest one of all stepped forward to face T.K. "Sorry, kid." he muttered. "But orders are orders."

He gripped T.K. by the shoulder and the neck with one hand. Hitting just the right pressure point, he lifted him off his feet. The young man cried out as a wave of pain rushed through his body.

"T.K.!" Kari cried. "Davis, help him!"

"I'm…a little…busy…right now!" Davis called, still fending off the other vandals with his sword.

The large man finally threw the boy into a tree across from them. T.K. hit it hard and crumpled to the ground, stunned.

"T.K.!" Kari tried to move forward, but one of the thugs grabbed her arms. "Let me go! Don't you touch me!"

"I expected as much." the leader muttered. "The herb, Lost-Life."

One of the smaller ones pulled a greenish-gray herb from his pouch and held it under Kari's nose. She breathed in the vapors once and grew faint, twice made her pass out.

The leader, Midnight, grinned to himself. "Alright boys, let's go!"

In and instant, the gang was gone, taking Kari with them. T.K. tried to pull himself up. "K-Kari…no…" he groaned. "We've gotta…get her…"

"Stay put." Davis warned. "Wait until you get your strength back. I'll go after them!" with that, he dove into the woods, leaving the prince alone.

~ * ~ * ~

Davis stepped into the clearing, re-sheaving his sword. The gang was there, with the girl, still unconcious. "Here she is, Daisuke." Midnight pointed down at her. "We've done our job."

"Not quite." Davis knelt down and scooped Kari up. "The boy with her…That T.K.…He'll be back on his feet soon. Make sure he doesn't bother us."

"And if he persists?"

"Sword, if you must." Davis shrugged. "Though that herb of yours seams very powerful indeed…tell me, what is it?"

"Bainwolfie." Midnight grinned. "It can be deadly. One breath makes the victim helpless. On the second, pass out. The third, enough for a whole day. A fourth, and they sleep forever."

Davis grinned. "Well then…If it comes to that, let him take a fourth breath."

~ * ~ * ~

Ten minutes later, T.K. had managed to struggle to his feet, snatch up the sword and chase after the group. "That lying son of a…" he muttered to himself. "'Stay here, I'll get her' will he?!"

A sudden blow knocked him from his feet. He was up in an instant, and faced the men before him. "Persistent, are you?" the leader asked shrewdly.

"Where are they?!" T.K. pointed his sword at the older man's chest.

"Who?"

"You know exactly who I mean!" T.K. snapped again. "Kari and that…that _weasel _we hired as a guide! Where has he taken her?!"

The leader jerked his head back and to the right. "Over there." he muttered. "But you won't be getting past us."

"That's what you think!" T.K. raged, lunging forward.

Midnight jumped out of the way. The group started to gang up on the young boy. But he somehow managed to parry each of their thrusts, and dodge every swipe of the blade.

"Very skilled, I see." Midnight muttered. "But not in our favor…Lost-Life! The Bainwolfie!"

That same small member pulled out his pouch and undid the string. One of the larger members managed to get T.K. in a choke hold and low enough that Lost-Life could hold the herb under his nose.

T.K. held his breath a moment. He remembered what the herb had did to Kari, and wouldn't let the same happen to him. With one quick movement, he'd thrown the guy off and knocked the herb away, but after that he collapsed to his knees, energy sapped. He'd taken the first breath.

Midnight stepped forward and the crowd made way for him. "You should be down enough now…" he muttered, drawing out his sword.

T.K. reached for his own, but it was kicked away from him by one of the others. Midnight pushed the boy's head up to expose the neck, and drew an imaginary line with the point where it would be best to slit his throat…

But then he stopped. He'd noticed a thick gold chain hanging around the boy's neck, as well as the medallion attached to it. And he dare not hurt the one who carried that medal…

~ * ~ * ~  


"Kari? Kari, can you hear me? Wake up!"

"Neeuh…Huh?"

Kari's eyes opened slightly. Someone was leaning over her, but it was so blurry she couldn't tell who. She blinked and it cleared to find…Davis.

With a gasp, she sat up. "Where am I?!" she gasped, glancing this way and that. "Where's T.K.?!"

"I'm not sure…" Davis muttered, glancing over his shoulder. "I lost track of him…we were both worried about you…"

Kari scrambled to her feet. "Then we have to find him!" she cried. "He could be killed!"

She started to move forward. Davis suddenly grabbed her by the wrist. "I think not…"

"What're you doing?!" she demanded, trying to struggle out of his grasp as he stood. "Let me go! Get off! Let go!"

~ * ~ * ~

T.K. and the vandals ran through the woods, searching for Kari and the guide.

"If you're working for Daisuke, why in the name of heavens are you helping _me_?" T.K. asked Midnight.

"We're vandals, not traitors." Midnight laughed, keeping pace. "There are only two things in the world we don't dare draw blood from: a woman and a member of our royalty. Besides, my baby sister lives in Westwood. It'd be a crime against me own blood."

"Really?" T.K. was interested. "She lives in Westwood?"

"Yes." Midnight smiled wistfully. "Her name's Mimi. She's married to the town doctor, a man named Jyou. You should look him up sometime, he's very skilled in his craft."

T.K. nodded, and just then Lost-Life popped his head through the trees. "Sir! We've found them!"

Before long, T.K. could hear muffled cries. As they drew closer and closer to the clearing, the sounds became more and more distinct:

"Get your hands off me!" Kari shrieked. "Don't you touch me! You get away!"

"That rat…" T.K. growled, fists clinched. "I'll show him! Daisuke!!"

The guide glanced up sharply as the young man burst through the trees. He stood glaring angrily. "You…You…" he growled.

Kari brushed her hair out of her eyes and sat up. Her face lit up when she saw her blonde-haired companion. "T.K.!" she gasped, and ran forward to him. "Oh thank god…"

T.K. gripped her for only a moment, then pushed her back so she wouldn't be harmed again and pulled out his sword to face Davis. Midnight and the rest of the gang appeared behind him.

"Ah! Midnight!" Davis grinned, seemingly have founding his powerful alley.

But Midnight just scoffed. "You're a fool, Daisuke." he growled. "This boy wears the crest of the Westwood royal family." he pointed to the large, gold metal around Takeru's neck.

It was the size of a large potato, flat, and engraved with one symbol that looked like a small spiral, and another that was a golden sun. "Not a one of us dares to harm him, or his companion."

"Get outta here, Daisuke." T.K. warned. "We'll not be keeping your company any longer."

"By my blood!" Davis shouted, suddenly lunging forward. T.K. parried his thrust and knocked him back, but he kept coming on and on.

Kari turned to the vandals. The whole group was just watching. "Well?!" she insisted. "Help him!"

"My sincerest apologies, dear lady." Midnight explained. "But we are still under Daisuke's pay. By our rules, we're not allowed to interfere with either side."

Kari groaned inwardly. T.K. was good, Davis was good, but T.K. was still feeling the effects of the Bainwolfie, and you could tell. She didn't want to risk losing him, not now…

Davis was starting to get the upper hand on the young prince. Neither one had yet to strike a blow, but T.K. was breathing hard, and the other was hardly breaking a sweat. He was winning this one, he was certain! Just a few more strokes…

An arrow suddenly flew forward, snatched him by the collar, and pinned the would-be guide to a tree two feet away. The arrow had pierced the cloth and held tight where he couldn't reach.

The men stared, wide-eyed, at Kari. She was the one who'd fired the arrow, and the bow was still in her hand. "Watch it, Daisuke." she growled, pulling another arrow out of the quiver at her feet. "One wrong move and I'll shoot again."

Midnight blinked, then turned to T.K. "Girl's got spunk." he said in a low whistle. "She always been that good with a bow?"

"Don't look at me." T.K. was grinning sheepishly. "Kari, where'd you learn to shoot like that?"

"Archery lessons, 'fore dad died." she muttered, lowering the bow a moment. "Gave Tai lessons in swordplay, too. Making sure we knew how to fight if push came to shove."

T.K. nodded, then stepped forward. He pulled the arrow out of the tree and pressed his sword threateningly against his neck. "Now get out." he warned, pointing in the opposite direction, back towards the inn. "Now."

With that, the guide took to his heels and ran from the woods, never once looking back.

~ * ~ * ~

"Thanks again." Kari sighed as the gang and travelers began to part. "We never could've made it without you."

"No need, dear lady." Midnight bowed. "We're always glad to help the traveler, especially fine young women such as yourself."

T.K. grinned and shook the leader's hand warmly. "Many thanks too, my friend." he said. "You're a great man."

"We'll show you the way towards Westwood." Midnight pointed in the correct direction. "And say hello to my sister, if you see her."

"Of course!"

Nightwing, one of the most skilled archers in the group, appeared from the trees with a fine willow bow and a birch bark quiver of oaken arrows. "A gift, before you go." he said, presenting them to Kari. "Of all the men I've ever seen, not a one has ever shot better than you."

Kari took the gifts thankfully, and, with a last goodbye, she and T.K. disappeared back down the trail towards home.


	6. Chapter 6

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Alright…I'll start again. I really hope you guys are liking this, 'cause I've had so many re-writes my head hurts. And uh…Sorato in this chapter. Sorry, Taiora fans.

Someone said they were thinking of make some fan art to go with this. I'm perfectly fine with that…As long as you send it to me! I wanna see what you got!

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Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. But this story is mine. Okay?

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Chapter 6

T.K. and Kari traveled together for another two days. It took them a while, about eight hours a day, stopping half an hour for food around noon, and camping out every night. Now finally, they were at the end of the woods.

"Look!" Kari called, pointing at yellow-white beams through the trees. "Light!"

"Finally…" T.K. sighed, unrolling the map Ken had given them. "This is where the path picks up. We follow this, and we'll be in Westwood in under a day!"

_Thwpt-pang._

Kari stopped, perking her ears. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

_Thwpt-pang._

"That!" Kari pointed to the bushes on the side. "It's coming from over here."

T.K. listened a moment. It sounded like firing an arrow, while the _pang_ was hitting its target. But Kari's bow was still firmly in its place. And she was right, it _was_ coming from the bushes. "What in the…"

The two peeked through, just for a moment, and then both hit the ground. An arrow zipped barely an inch above their heads, embedding itself into a tree behind them. They blinked and started to get up.

A new figure stuck their head out of the trees it had come from, searching for their arrow. When he spotted the others, his eyes widened. "Holy…"

A moment later, he was helping Kari to her feet like a real gentleman. "I'm really sorry about that." he muttered sheepishly. "No one comes through here this time of year. I was just practicing…are you alright?"

"Fine…Fine…" Kari smiled, brushing herself off. "We're okay."

They took a moment to look each other over. This new man was older than T.K. or Kari, about the same age as Tai. His hair was golden blonde, just like T.K.'s, and his eyes were deep, deep, dark blue, like watering holes. He was dressed in a woodman's garb, browns and greens, with a quiver over his back and a sheaf at his side.

"Here you go." he muttered, helping T.K. to his feet. "Not hurt?"

"Nope." Kari smiled. "We're fine, really. Right?"

"Yeah…Fine…" T.K. muttered, not taking his eyes off the stranger.

The elder cocked his head. "Somethin' wrong?" he asked. "You look a little spaced."

T.K. shook his head, like trying to get water out of his ears. "I'm sorry…I don't mean to stare, but…" he took a closer look. "You look awfully familiar."

"I was…Just about to say the same thing about you!" the older one gasped.

Both of them took a very close look at each other as Kari stood by. After a moment, both sets of blue eyes widened suddenly.

"Yamato?!"

"Takeru?!"

Kari nearly fainted as the two brothers embraced for the first time in nine years. When they separated, they both were so busy exclaiming over each other to notice her much at all.

"Good Lord, T.K.!" Yamato exclaimed, measuring his brother against himself. "Look at you! You've gotten huge!"

"Look at me?" T.K. laughed, motioning to his huntsman's garb. "Look at you, Matt! What on earth are you dressed as?"

Matt laughed and gripped his brother again, then looked over at Kari with a smile. "And who is this lovely young companion?"

"This is Kari." T.K. made the introductions. "She's the sister of the village innkeeper."

Kari suddenly came to her senses and gave the customary curtsy. "P-Pleased to meet you." she whispered.

"The pleasure's all mine." Matt smiled warmly, giving his brother a joking sideways glance. T.K. grinned sheepishly and put his arm over Kari's shoulder.

Matt nodded, picking up Kari's bag and turning toward the road. "Come on. You could use a little rest."

~ * ~ * ~

Sora sighed as she hung the wash out on the line to dry. Movement from the path caught her eye. When she saw who it was, she dropped the wash onto the line and ran down the path to meet him joyously.

Matt accepted Sora's embrace graciously, and returned it with a small kiss. She glanced behind him and spotted two youngers, one she recognized.

"Takeru?" she gasped, moving to him. "Is it really you?"

T.K. shifted his weight. "Hello Sora." he muttered quietly.

Sora smiled and mussed the young man's hair. Then she turned to Kari. "You look familiar." she said. "Are you from the village?"

"Yes!" Kari gasped. "You're Sora Takanuchi, right? The miller's daughter that disappeared all those years ago?"

Sora nodded. Kari turned to T.K. in a bit of surprise. "You know her, Takeru?" she asked in a low whisper as Sora turned back to Matt.

T.K. grinned. "They'd been having this affair for a year before he left."

"That'd be the one." Matt laughed, putting his arm around Sora. "I can hear you, T.K. And its more than an affair now. This is my wife."

T.K. nearly fell over when he heard that. "_Wife_?!" he gasped, close to laughing. "Good word…Matt, I never thought…"

"Why else would he leave such a high place?" Sora laughed, kissing her husband's hand.

Matt nodded, gazing between his brother and the younger girl. After a moment of silence, he spoke. "Sora…Why don't you take Kari down to that nice little spring to freshen up? I'd like to speak with my brother a moment."

Sora nodded and lead Kari down to the river, to a special trove she used for bathing. It was in the darker side of the river, and a long weeping willow hung over it, with thick bows that hid anyone inside from view completely.

Matt, meanwhile, took his brother up to the hut on top of the grassy green hill. It was pleasant, with white stone walls and a yellow thatched hut, and a good stone chimney. Once inside, Matt brought out a bottle of some kind of bubbly fruit drink that focused your concentration rather than make you lose it.

"Here ya go." he said, holding the purple liquid out to his brother. "Take it."

T.K. took a sip. It was rather good, but not as tasty as the drink from Izumi's inn. Matt settled down across from him at the wooden table, sipping his own glass. For a moment there was silence, and the sounds of laughing and splashing floated over from the river.

"She's a good catch, T.K." Matt finally sighed. "Smart, pretty, and obviously talented."

"Who? Kari?" T.K. muttered setting down his glass. "Yeah…I guess so."

Matt sipped his glass, deep in thought. "Do you understand now?" he asked, leaning back. "Why I left?"

T.K. shrugged. "You met a beautiful woman. You fell in love. Dad died, and you ran off together. What's there left?"

"Plenty." Matt set his glass back down on the table, glaring seriously. T.K. looked up at his brother, wondering where this was going. "T.K.…When it's your turn, which one will you choose?"

T.K. thought about that a moment, then realized what he meant. The law said that he couldn't marry anyone but one of those princesses that hounded him all the time and tried to change him. Kari never did that, she was happy with who he was. But he was a prince…There was nothing he could do.

He finally sighed, letting his head drop a moment. "I don't know, Yamato…I just don't know…"

~ * ~ * ~

That evening, Kari and T.K. explained everything that had happened to the former prince and his wife. Matt promptly decided to go with the back to Westwood, and help bring Daricon down.

They set off the next morning and about two hours later, found themselves at the gate to the city. And it was not a pretty sight.

Kari had to keep from crying out when she saw her home. It was dirtier than usual, and the buildings had all fallen into disrepair. The streets were bare, not a person in site, and the air reeked of decay.

T.K. and Matt gazed around in horrified awe. "Good Lord…" the elder whispered. "This is…Inhumane…"

T.K. suddenly stopped. "The…The inn…" he gasped, pointing.

The dear old place was more crumpled and wrecked than the others. The windows were dark, and it looked like it hadn't been occupied in a good, long time.

Kari cupped her hands over her mouth and cried behind them. She swallowed and ran forward, knocking on the door.

"Tai?" she called. "Tai, are you there? It's me! It's Kari! Can you hear me?"

There was movement inside the windows. Kari could see the curtain inside pull back and a weary face gaze out. "Tai! Please open up! It's me! Tai, please!"

The face disappeared. A moment later, the door creaked open. Tai, looking about twenty years older than he was, stood in the doorway. "K-Kari?" he gasped.

"Tai!" Kari threw her arms around her brother, joyous to see him after days of worrying.

"Kari…It's really you…" was all he could say, returning the hug. "Oh, thank God…Kari, I thought you were dead!"

They separated as T.K. and his brother approached. "Tai…" Kari coughed. "You remember T.K., right?"

"Of course!" Tai shook T.K.'s hand, dropping about ten years from his weary face. "This is wonderful…Your advisor is here too!"

T.K. started. "Cody?" he asked in a breath.

"Yes…" Tai was a little disturbed. "Daricon kicked him out and would've had him killed, if he hadn't hidden here. He's in the bedroom on the second floor. It's the only one with a closed door."

T.K. didn't need to hear anymore. He ran up the stairs and pounded at the closed door. "Cody? Cody, are you in there? Cody!"

The door opened. The dark-haired young man stood there, massaging his temples. "T…Takeru?" he whispered in shock.

"Cody." T.K. sighed. "Thank goodness you're still in one piece!"

Cody's face flooded with happiness. "Master Takeru…Thank the Lord!" he exclaimed, embracing the prince joyously. "I thought for sure…"

"It's alright, my old friend." T.K. laughed. "It's alright."

Matt came up the stairs, smiling. "Well, if it isn't Cody Hida." he said. "It has been a while."

Cody's eyes widened. "M-Master Yamato?"

Matt just laughed. "Cody, I'm not a prince anymore, you don't have to act like it."

Tai turned to Kari. "Is he really…?"

"Yup." she grinned.

T.K., Matt and Cody came back down the stairs. "Now." T.K. said quietly. "We've got to start planning."

~ * ~ * ~

An hour later, the five men sat around the wooden table. Despite warnings of Daricon's Elite 'Black Guards', a group of soldiers loyal only to him, Kari had taken her chances to go to the town fountain for some water. The loyal guards had been locked up in the palace dungeons.

"Alright then." Tai sighed. "So our best plan is to sneak into the place, free the guards, and then take on Daricon."

"Right." Matt nodded. "It's getting in that's the problem. The only time we could sneak in is if we got the front centuries by surprise. Then we'd only have about half an hour before they realized we were in there."

Some frantic knock came at the door. Tai looked up, then answered the door. "Yes?"

"Mr. Kamiya!" two kids, one boy and one girl, stood on the doorstep. They were breathing hard and seamed kind of upset.

"Thomas? Anne?" Tai gasped. "What're you two doing here?"

"Who's that?" Cody asked.

"Two of the kids from in town." T.K. told them. "Kari tells them stories sometimes."

"What's up, kids?" Tai asked, bringing the children inside.

"It's Kari, Mr. Kamiya!" Anne gasped. "She's in trouble!"

That got the men's attention. "Trouble?" Matt gasped. "Where? What?"

Thomas patted his younger sister on the shoulder before turning to speak to the elders. "We were gonna get some water from the fountain…we saw Kari there. It's been so long since we've seen her, we thought we'd say hello…But the Black Guard came."

Tai's eyes widened. "No…" he whispered.

"One of their horsemen appeared outta nowhere!" Thomas continued. "We tried to warn 'er…but he got there first. He scooped her up and rode off!"

"Which way did he go?" Tai asked, leaning down so he was even with the kids.

"To the palace." Anne gasped. "He took 'er up der."

After a moment of silence, Matt nodded. "Alright kids…Go on home now." he soothed the youngsters. "Don't you worry 'bout Kari. She'll be fine."

The kids headed out the door and down the street. Tai shut the door and turned to the others. "He's got her…" T.K. whispered. "Daricon's taken Kari…"

Cody was deep in thought. "He must've heard you were back in town…And took her as a hostage against us…"

Tai sat down with a sigh. "What do we do now?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Matt asked, tapping his fingers on the table. "She's your sister. We've gotta go save her."

T.K. closed his eyes a moment, then stood. "Right!" he exclaimed. "No matter what it takes, we've gotta get her back!"


	7. Chapter 7

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Well…This is it. Hope you guys have liked this, 'cause this is the last…I repeat, the LAST…Chapter of Diamond in the Rough…Feh, if you guys like it so much, I'm working on a Feudal Era fic. It's called A Feudal Fairytale, with Kari as a Princess and T.K. a samurai. Cool, huh? (Gimme some ideas, please?)

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Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, or the concept of a medieval fic. But someday, this may become a real book…okay, under different names, but still, don't touch it.

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Chapter 7

"Uh, Cody…" Tai tried to put his protest into words. "Not to be rude or anything, but…How is that…stick…gonna help you?"

Cody fingered the long, thin staff in his hands warmly. "This old thing's never let me down before." he said smugly. "It practically handles itself."

"Cody…Old friend…" Matt looked just as confused as Tai. "Be serious…How is that gonna stop, say, five large men armed with rather sharp swords?"

T.K. slide his own sword back into its sheaf, then gave Cody a sideways grin. He'd dueled with the man for years, and knew exactly what he was talking about. "Why don't you show 'em what old hickory can do?"

"Gladly." Cody nodded, taking up his staff.

He firmly struck the wall next to the door. For a moment, nothing happened. Then and a shelf full of books, across the wall but exactly even with the point he had struck began to waver. One by one, like a hand running behind them, each and every book fell neatly to the ground, and a lit candle on the very end went out.

Cody replaced the staff back in its holder across his back. "Any more questions?" he asked. Tai and Matt just shook their heads.

"Alright." T.K. sighed, brushing his hair back. "The plan is simple. Get in, save Kari, free the Guard and take Daricon down once and for all. Are we ready?"

"As ever." Tai sighed.

"Okay then." Matt muttered, sliding his sword back into place. "Let's get going."

~ * ~ * ~

The sun was barely rising over the edge of the castle walls when they reached them. Matt looked up the gates, which, of course, were locked.

"Okay…" he muttered. "This is a problem. How do we get in…?"

"Really, brother." T.K. laughed. "Don't tell me you never tried it!"

With that, he gripped hold of the ivy growing along the side of the wall and scaled it within a couple of minutes. A moment later, he'd unlocked the gates from the inside and opened them slow enough not to be heard.

"So!" Cody muttered, glaring at the prince as they entered in. "_That's _how you got out!"

T.K. grinned sheepishly, then lead the way towards the fortress. But he hadn't taken his third step before he stopped and raised his sword against the Black Guard.

"Damn!" Matt cursed, diving in with his brother, Tai and Cody fending off others behind them. "He must've been expecting us! Why didn't we come in the back?!"

No one could answer, because they were too busy trying not to get skewered. Just the same, not a one of them noticed as the balcony at the very top of the tower…that had been the Prince's room…the door opened and two figures appeared out it.

Daricon shoved his captive in front of him, grinning evilly. Kari, her wrists bound behind her back, struggled against him best she could. "Take a look…" he hissed at her, and pushed her across the banister so that she was bent over it on her stomach.

She looked down, her eyes moving from one fighting figure to the next. Cody's staff was flying, knocking the Guards back. Three were on him at any given time, those that were knocked out were replaced. Tai and Matt, both defending with swords, fought an interchanging pair each. T.K. plunged forward, knocking as many back as he could. Kari was tempted to call them, to cheer them on, but she knew Daricon's plan and held her tongue.

"Well? What're you waiting for?" The Lord Regent hissed to her again after a moment. "Call out for your _beloved_ prince to come and rescue you…"

Kari shoved backwards and broke free of his grasp, falling to the side. "I don't care what you do to me…" she growled. "But I will _never_ help you hurt him!"

Daricon stared at her a moment, then laughed. "Oh, I see where you're going!" he laughed. "You're the brave young heroine, right? Trying to save your…_one true love_, the Prince? Is that it?"

Kari glared at him, then gazed longingly back out over the battle. Daricon clicked his tongue, pulling his curved sword out of its sheaf. "We'll see about that, little girl…"

Kari only felt the sudden streak of pain as he struck her across the shoulders with the flat of his blade. Before she could stop herself, she let out a strangled cry.

T.K., down on the field, heard the noise and looked up wildly. Daricon was raising his sword to strike the girl again. "Kari!" T.K. cried, pushing his foes away.

Daricon stopped in mid-raise, tucking the sword back into its sheaf. "I was wondering when you'd notice, _my lord_." he sneered, yanking Kari back up. "If you want her, come and get her!"

"No!" Kari cried, suddenly striking forward against her bonds. "It's a trap!"

"Quiet you!" Daricon snapped, but she pressed on.

"Please, T.K., I beg you!" she sobbed as he forced her back through the door. "You can't come! He'll kill you!"

The door slammed shut. The few remaining guards straggled back to the castle, stumbling over their wounds. Matt ran up to his brother's side, gazing up at the tower with hatred in his eyes. "The beast…" he sneered. "Only a monster would dare to strike a woman that way."

"Guys!" Tai called. "I don't mean to interrupt, but…"

T.K. looked up, then hurried back. Tai was kneeling next to Cody, who was bent over himself, gripping his left shoulder. "Cody…" T.K. gasped. "Are you hurt?"

"It's…It's just a cut…" Cody muttered. "Only a flesh wound…"

"Let's see." Matt warned, pulling the advisor's hand away.

The palm was already smeared with flesh blood, and it was obvious what had happened. One of the guard's blades had made it past his staff and plunged into his shoulder. It was deep and painful-looking, still bleeding quickly.

"You call _that_ not bad?" Tai gasped.

"I'm fine!" Cody insisted, pushing them off. "We're wasting time!"

He tried to stand, but sunk to the ground again when his leg went numb from loss of blood. T.K. steadied him, eyes clouded in thought.

"Cody." he said finally. "This is obviously too serious for you to continue on. You'll have to turn back."

"But Takeru…!"

"No buts." T.K. warned. "That's a direct order. Try to make it down the hill, the town doctor should fix you up."

He pulled Cody to his feet and personally lead his friend to the gates. Cody stumbled out, leaning on his cane. "Takeru…are you sure?"

"Cody, we'll be fine." T.K. sighed. "Go get yourself healed. And don't call me Takeru."

Cody smiled a tired smile. "Alright." he sighed. "Good luck…T.K.…"

With that, he limped back down the hill.

T.K. watched him go, then picked his sword up from the ground. He looked up at the others. "We gotta keep going." he sighed. "It'll only get harder from here."

They nodded, then headed up the hill to the castle above.

~ * ~ * ~

Daricon hissed like a snake, pushing his prisoner before him and facing the mirror so they could see each other eye-to-eye. Kari glared at his reflection viciously. "You…monster…" she growled.

"Monster, my dear?" Daricon laughed, then shoved her to the floor. "Is that any way to speak to your _king_?"

"Takeru's the real king!" Kari shouted. She struggled to try to stand, but couldn't with her hands bound. "There's no way he'll fall for your trap!"

Daricon's eyes narrowed. "Insolent little wretch!" he growled, kicking her sharply. He grabbed her by the collar and hoisted her up. "I'll show you what makes a king! That _child_ whom you hold so dear is unfit for the hallowed position!"

Kari spat in his face. Daricon grimaced and wiped it away in disgust. "Feisty little one, aren't you?" he sneered. "I know…Why don't we check in on your knight in shining armor? He should be just within view by now…ah, but first…"

He pulled a piece of black cloth out of his cloak and, before she could react, had gagged her tight. She mumbled against the cloth incoherently as he grinned. "We wouldn't want you giving away any more secrets, now would we?"

With that, he pushed her out the door and onto the stairwell.

Another battle was already raging three stories below them in the main hall. Kari hadn't seen what had happened to Cody, so she feared the worst when only three fighters remained standing against the black-cloaked guards.

"Well well well." Daricon laughed. "The prince is doing quite well, isn't he? Shall we call him?"

Kari strained against her gag, and Daricon snickered at her distress. "Really, must you fight like that? It's unbecoming for a lady." he forced her further forward. "Why don't you just be our little damsel in distress?"

Tai looked up at the snake-like drawl of the villain's voice. "You…" he growled, knocking another back.

Daricon laughed a low laugh as T.K. looked up as well. "You really want this girl back, don't you?" he chuckled. "Of course, this invitation is to the prince alone, gentlemen. I'm sure you understand."

With that, he shoved Kari back through the opposite door. She'd been shaking her head wildly for the time he'd been talking, and the force of his push sent her sprawling, the last glimpse they got of her before the door slammed shut.

T.K. growled low, pushing back one of the guards in attempt to make it to the stairs. His brother jumped in front of him, pushing the wall to the side. "Go on!" he urged, sword flying. "You get up to Kari, we'll hold 'em off down here."

T.K. stared at his brother. "Matt…are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure!" the elder cried. "Get going!"

T.K. hesitated a moment, then nodded and made a run for the stairs. Tai and Matt knocked the guards away to make a path for him, then were pushed against each other, back-to-back.

"Well, Kamiya…" Matt laughed. "You're not bad with a sword."

"You're not to shabby yourself, Yamato." Tai grinned good-naturedly.

Takeru was plunging up the stairs as the two older men fought on below. His heart pounded as loud as his feet against the steps, and his breathing was rough. With a hard thrust, he threw open the door to his old room.

"Kari!" he gasped, freezing in his tracks.

Daricon grinned at him evilly. He had Kari between himself and the prince, and held her wrists so she couldn't move. Adding to all this, his curved blade was held to her throat, and obvious threat.

"Ah, at last." he laughed. The prince started to take a step forward, but Daricon clicked his tongue in warning. "No-no. One more step, and…"

"Don't you _dare_ hurt her!" T.K. growled, but stayed put.

"Good." Daricon hissed, finally having the long-sought-after-pleasure of forcing the kingdom's 'ruler' to his will. "Now put down that pretty sword of yours."

T.K. slid it into his sheaf, taking his hands away from the belt. But Daricon shook his head. "No. Put it _down_."

T.K. glared, but his eyes drifted to the blade at Kari's throat. Her eyes were begging him not to, but that blade warned him to obey…

He pulled the belt that held his sheaf off and threw it to the ground. Daricon kicked it out of the way, all the way under the bed where no one could reach. He thought a moment, then grinned. "Fine." he snickered. "She's yours."

He pushed Kari and she fell forward, into T.K.'s waiting arms. He reached up and pulled the gag away from her mouth. "Are you okay?" he asked gently.

"You shouldn't have done that…" Kari whispered, then buried her face in his shirt, sobbing. He held her close for a moment, cradling her lovingly in his arms as he undid the binds around her arms.

"How sweet…" Daricon's growl broke their scene instantly. He pulled his own sword out, brandishing it at T.K. for a fight. "Not that it matters at the moment, boy!"

He lunged forward. T.K. pulled Kari out of the way and the two hit the ground along side the bed together as Daricon missed by an inch. "Get out of here." T.K. whispered, then vaulted over the bed before Daricon could strike again.

Kari, however, was frozen to the spot, watching in horror as T.K. defended himself the best he could, with various pieces of wooden furniture to block the swing blade. She looked around frantically, then spotted a closet with the door hanging open. Inside she could see…the prince's original weapons!

"T.K.!" she called, snatching a sheaved sword from the stack. "Catch!"

The prince looked up as the belt flew towards him, and snatched it up in one hand. With a quick movement he had the sword out and was back in battle. "Thanks, Kari!" he called, parrying a thrust. "Now run!"

Kari nodded, scrambling for the door, but when she reached it she turned back.

Daricon and T.K. were of equal skill, at least as far as training was concerned. But Daricon was taller, and he hadn't just fought two hard battles to get up here. The boy was weakening, and you could tell…

With fire burning in his eyes, Daricon plunged his blade into the prince's side. T.K. let out a cry as a spasm of pain rocked his whole body, and his hand involuntarily dropped his sword.

"T.K.!" Kari cried, as he dropped to the ground, clutching his side as one leg went numb from the sudden loss of blood.

"No!" he groaned when she tried to run to him. "Get out…Save…yourself…"

"It's such a pity…" Daricon laughed, putting the tip of his blade to his victim's throat. "That you won't get to see how your lovely little damsel in distress cries over your lifeless form…Ah, but don't worry." he pulled the blade back to strike. "She'll join you soon enough. Goodbye…_lord…_"

Takeru braced himself for the death blow. He didn't see Kari anywhere, with the relief that she must have run and wouldn't have to see him die like this…

Daricon suddenly stopped. He looked strangely horrified, like he was in pain or anguish. With a sudden spasm, he dropped his sword. He turned slowly, gasping and staring in shock at something across the room…

Kari stood with bow in hand, another arrow ready to fire. She'd pulled them out of the closet, too. A first one was already stuck directly between Daricon's shoulder blades. The traitor stumbled back, against the banister of the balcony, staring wildly.

"Now." Kari growled. "You're dead!"

She fired her last arrow. It struck Daricon directly between the eyes, pushing him over the edge of the balcony. With a groaning cry, he tumbled off the edge and fell to the ground.

Kari stood a moment, gasping for breath, then rushed to T.K.'s side. She cradled his head in her arms, ignoring the blood from his wound. He groaned, opening his eyes. "Kari…Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." she whispered. "It's you…I'm worried about…"

"Oh…this?" he tried to laugh it off. "It's just a…cut…"

His poor body just couldn't take it anymore. With a final groan of pain he slumped, fainting from loss of blood.

"T.K.…" Kari whispered, then shouted. "Please wake up! T.K.! _T.K.!_"

~ * ~ * ~

An hour later, she, Matt, Cody and Tai were hovering around the door to the prince's room. The brothers had been cornered by the Black Guard when the _real_ protectors of the kingdom appeared. Cody, with his wound wrapped and treated in record time, had lead Jyou, the doctor, and the other men in town for backup.

Just as everything seamed fine down below, they heard a horrible scream from upstairs. A smaller group rushed up to find poor Kari crying over the prince's bloody form.

They'd feared him dead, but Jyou had confirmed that he was still alive. After Matt and Tai helped him pull T.K. onto the bed, he'd shooed everyone out but his wife, Midnight's sister Mimi, and had been working over him for the past hour.

Kari was shaking horrible, wringing her hands in fear. Tai was trying desperately to calm his sister down, and Matt was just pacing the room. All were praying under their breaths: _"Please let him be okay…"_

The door suddenly opened. Everyone looked up expectantly as Jyou and Mimi stepped out. They were smiling. "He's just fine." Mimi sighed. "Already regained consciousness and everything."

"Just make sure he rests for a few days." Jyou warned Matt. "After that he should be fine."

Kari opened her mouth to speak, but Mimi knew what was coming and opened the door wide. "Go right on in." she laughed.

Kari rushed in, the others hovered in the doorway. T.K. was sitting up in bed, his shirt was folded on the chair across the room and his wound was wrapped in clean white linen. His face lit up as Kari hurried over and sat beside him on the bed.

"How do you feel?" she asked gently.

"Just fine." he whispered comfortingly, squeezing her hand. "That man's a miracle worker, I tell you."

There was silence a moment as the two of them just looked at each other, forgetting the others in the room. Mimi giggled, packing up her things. "Looks like you should be planning a wedding soon…"

"There's just one problem." Matt spoke up suddenly. "The law."

Kari heaved a sigh. "Stupid law." she muttered sorely, looking into T.K.'s eyes longingly. "I love you. It shouldn't make a difference!"

Cody thought a moment, then nodded. "You're right, it shouldn't!" he exclaimed. Everyone stared, about to laugh at the usual-strict advisor. "I'm completely serious! It's positively ridiculous, we can do without! Besides…" he grinned sideways at Matt. "We loose more royalty that way."

A wave of excitement flooded the room. Tai glanced over at the ex-prince standing beside him. "Now that that's gone, are you gonna come back?"

"Not a chance." Matt laughed. "It's not my place anymore. Besides, I like the randomness of my house, and Sora hates big places."

Kari wasn't listening as they left. T.K. wasn't listening as the room emptied to just the two of them. She ran her hand over his bare chest, then put her arms around his neck. "There's one last thing we have to do before that." she whispered.

"What?" he asked, though he knew very well what she meant as his arms snaked around her waist and pulled her into his lap.

"This." she kissed him lovingly for the first time, and it was a true-to-fairy-tale ending, as Kari later told the children in their story's conclusion…

"And so, the Prince married the girl, happy at last to have each other. The prince's brother returned to his wife, and the girl's father soon had more business than he could ever have asked for. The advisor took the Lord Regent's place, and They grew into a healthy and prosperous reign, and the kingdom finally flourished. And so the new King, and his Queen, lived, as always, happily ever after…"

**__**

THE END


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